Armenian authorities again search teenage brothers’ apartment after church incident

Armenian law enforcement authorities on Wednesday conducted a renewed search at the apartment of two teenage brothers detained following a church incident involving Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, according to a local journalist.

Journalist Syuzi Badoyan reported that investigators returned to the residence of Davit and Mikayel Minasyan, who were detained after an altercation that occurred during a Palm Sunday mass at St. Anna Church in Yerevan.

The brothers’ attorney, Lusine Martirosyan, declined to confirm or deny the reports in a brief comment to Panorama.am.

“I cannot provide any comment at the moment. We will be in court at 11:40 a.m.,” Martirosyan said.

Authorities released Mikayel Minasyan on Tuesday, while investigators have petitioned the court to authorize pretrial detention for Davit Minasyan. A hearing on the request was held on Tuesday, with the court’s decision expected to be announced at 12:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Investigators had previously searched the brothers’ apartment but reported finding nothing.